Francesco de Mura, (Italian, 1696–1792), The Visitation, c. 1750, Oil on canvas, 37 x 46 1/2, Gift of George H. Sullivan in memory of his parents.

NEW YORK, NY.- As the exhibit of his world-renowned 17th Century half length painting of Saint Sebastian by Guercino at Princeton University Art Museum comes to a close, actor/artist/collector Federico Castelluccio has just announced he will now take part in an upcoming unprecedented traveling exhibition of the works of another Old Master, the Neopolitan Baroque painter Francesco de Mura. 

Francesco De Mura (Italian, 1696–1792), Biblical Scene. Oil on canvas, 67x99 cm. 

Castelluccio is loaning four fine examples of de Mura’s work from his own highly regarded personal collection, one of which is called The Trinity, oil on canvas, circa 1741. 

The historic exhibit “In the Light of Naples” The Art of Francesco De Mura, curated by director emeritus of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Dr. Arthur Blumenthal, will begin in the fall at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum in Florida, the Chazen Museum of Art in Wisconsin, the Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College in New York and at the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. 

Francesco De Mura (Italian, 1696–1792), Charity.

“In the Light of Naples” marks the first ever Francesco de Mura exhibit, which has been ten years in the making, fulfilling a debt owed to de Mura after the Allied bombing of Monte Cassino Abbey in 1944 destroyed one-third of his exquisite work. 

Before helping to prepare the new exhibit, Castelluccio is currently playing the role of Sante Casoria in Calach Films and Shoreline Entertainment’s independent dark comedy feature “The Toy Gun”, filming in Belgium and Luxembourg through the end of this month with co-stars Julian Sands and Anthony LaPaglia. Federico's role came with an added surprise working with top Italian cinematographer Blasco Giurato, who famously worked on the highly-accredited film Cinema Paradiso. 

Francesco de Mura (Italian, 1696–1792), The Trinity, circa 1741.